In the liner notes to Music Needs You, Ryan Blotnick’s debut, the Brooklyn jazz guitarist mentions entering the studio “on a whim.” But nothing about this disc feels slapdash. It’s a record full of memorable melodies; gentle, reflective tunes such as “The Quiet Space Left Behind” might actually have a shot at becoming 21st-century standards. If the overall approach suggests richly shaded, ’60s-style postbop, Blotnick’s nods to moody rock and ethereal free jazz peg the 24-year-old bandleader as a vital contemporary voice.—Hank Shteamer

Ryan Blotnick plays Cornelia Street Café Thu 21 and Eat Records Fri 22.